Pedal for musical instruments



No. 6|3,232. Patented Nov. I, I898. R. M. BENT.

PEDAL FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

(Application filed May 12, 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No. 6l3,232. Patented Nov. I, i898. R. M. BENT.

PEDAL FOR MUSlCAL INSTRUMENTS.

. (Application filed m 12, 1898.) (No Model.) 7 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD M. BENT, OF NEl/V YORK, N. Y.

PEDAL FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

PECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,232, dated November 1, 1898. Application filed May12, 1898. Serial No. 680,450. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD M. BENT, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pedals for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to improvements in pedals for pianos and analogous musical instruments, and has for its object more particularly to provide an apparatus whereby children and persons of small stature maybe enabled to operate the pedals withoutinconvenience.

A further object of said invention is to provide an apparatus which may be readily applied to or removed from the piano or other instrument without marring in the slightest degree the appearance of the instrument.

To this end the invention consists in the novel details of construction and in the combination, connection, and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter more fully described and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, wherein like letters of reference indicate like parts, Figure l is a front view of the lower portion of an upright piano with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a section thereof, taken on about the line 2 2 of said Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow, the anterior keyboardbracket being removed; and Fig. 3 is a View illustrating a modified form of fastening the upper ends of the rods supporting the apparatus.

In said drawings, A designates the pianocasing, B the keyboard, and O O the main pedals projecting outward beyond the casing A at its base. To the sides of said main pedals C 0, upon the front of the casing, near its base, are arranged washers D D, which are maintained and secured in position by means of prongs a, which extend from the rear of said washers D D into the casing A, and upon the under side of the keyboard B, directly above the washers D D, are provided similar washers E E, the keyboard being provided with recesses 19 in line with the apertures in the washers E E.

F F denote vertical supporting-rods, having their lower ends swaged down and provided with openings to receive screws 0 0, whereby the lower ends of said rods F F may be secured to the front of the casing A upon the Washers D D, respectively, while the upper ends of said rods will be maintained in position within the washers E E and recesses 19 in the under side of the keyboard B.

G denotes a horizontal carrier-rod, provided at its ends with clamping devices comprising the blocks H H, provided with openings through which extend the rods F F, and setscrews I 1, whereby said clamping devices and the carrier-rod G may be secured to the adjusted position upon the rods F F. Upon said carrier-rod G are arranged the auxiliary pedals J J, the rear ends of which are pivotally supported upon said rod G and main tained in position thereon by collars 01, se cured upon said rod G to both sides of said pedals J'J, and e 6 denote slots provided in said pedals J J near the forward ends, as indicated at Fig. 2. Upon the under sides of said auxiliary pedals J J are provided bearings K K, within which are pivotallysupported the depending connecting -sections L L, having clamping devicessecured totheir lower or free ends, comprising the blocks M M, provided with openings, and set-screws f f, eX tending into said blocks M M at right angles to the openings therein, and O 0 denote rods the lower ends of which are reduced in diameter and maintained in position upon the main pedals C C, within apertures provided therein adapted to receive said reduced ends. The upper ends of said rods 0 O extend through the slots 6 e in the auxiliary pedals J J and the openings in the blocks M M on the connecting-sections L L and are secured within said blocks to their adjusted positions by means of the set-screws f f. At Fig. 3 I have shown another method of securing the upper ends of the rods supporting the carrier-rod G, and in this construction I employa screw-eye A, which is secured in the front of the piano-casing directly beneath the keyboard.

To operate the apparatus it simply becomes necessary to adjust the carrier-rod G to suit the performer and then correspondingly adjust the rods 0 O and secure the same to their adjusted positions. Thereupon the main pedals can be operated by pressure upon the auxiliary pedals in the same manner that the former are ordinarily operated.

After the apparatus has once been adjusted it simply becomes necessary in order to remove or replace the same to remove or insert the screws 0 c, as the case may be.

It will be observed that while I have shown the apparatus applied to two pedals only it may readily be applied to three or more.

Without limiting myself to the precise de tails of construction, which may be varied within the scope of the invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. The combination with a piano or analogous musical instrument provided with pedals, of vertical rods adapted for securement to said piano or instrument, a carrier-rod adjustably supported upon said vertical rods, pedals pivotally secured upon said carrierrod, pivoted connecting-sections depending from said pedals, and rods adjustably secured to said depending connecting-sections, said rods having their lower ends in contact with the pedals first above named, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a piano or analogous musical instrument provided with main pedals, of vertical rods adapted for securement to said piano or instrument, a carrierrod adjustably supported upon said vertical rods, auxiliary pedals 'pivotally supported upon said carrier-rod, pivoted connectingsections depending from said auxiliary pedals, clamping devices carried by the free ends of said connecting-sections, and rods adjustably secured to the connecting-sections by the clamping devices, aforesaid, the lower ends of said rods being in contact with and bearing upon the main pedals, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a piano oranalogous musical instrument provided with main pedals, of vertical supporting-rods adapted for securement to said piano or instrument, means for securing said supporting rods thereto, a carrier-rod adapted to work upon said supporting-rods, clamping devices provided at the ends of said carrier-rod whereby to secure said carrier-rod to its adjusted position upon the supporting-rods, auxiliary pedals provided near their forward ends with slots, and pivotally supported at their rear ends upon the carrier-rod, bearings provided upon the under sides of said auxiliary pedals, connecting-sections pivotally supported in said bearings, and depending therefrom, clamping devices provided at the lower or free ends of said connecting-sections,and rods having their lower ends supported in the main pedals and their upper ends extending through the slots in the auxiliary pedals,said rods being connected intermediate their up per and lower ends with the auxiliary pedals by means of the clamping devices carried by the connecting-sections, depending from said auxiliary pedals, substantially as specified.

Signed in the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, this 9th day of May, 1898.

RICHARD M. BENT.

Witnesses i GUsTAvE DIETERICH, JOHN KEHLENBECK. 

